The following morning before 7am it was still sprinkling when I woke up and noticed Andra sitting on top of her sleeping bag. Having taken several correspondence courses and a night class on being more sensitive and shit, I've become a highly attuned pro at picking up on even the slightest sign that someone is unhappy. Noticing that Andra was uncharacteristically sitting there crying, I thought there might be a small possibility that something was wrong. Using my vast training as a guide on how to handle this complex situation, I asked, "Are you okay?"

As it happened, Andra had developed a medical problem overnight and was a bit distraught. She told me about how she thought about sneaking out and going back so as not to ruin our vacation. I explained to her how crazy it would be for someone with a medical problem to try to navigate out alone, and that she wasn't ruining anything. I told her I would inform Rick of our situation and we'd head out together, allowing Rick another day to recover before returning.

Now with time as our enemy, we must break camp, give Rick the shared outdoor gear, and get back before Andra is unable to get out on her own power. Estimating we could have as few as four hours before she is unable to walk, we assembled most of our gear while it continued to rain. Soggy equipment and all, I snapped this last photo before leaving Rick at the lake. With over nine miles to reach the shuttle stop, it is critical we maintain a stiff pace.

All those spots on the upper right corner of this photo are mosquitoes, not dirt on my lens. If you look closely, the right part of this photo is packed with them.